A new airport testing regime could see the 14-day quarantine period slashed for international arrivals, Grant Shapps has said.
The transport secretary will unveil plans to MPs on Wednesday that could see the two-week self-isolation period shaved down, provided people have a negative test result.
While England has a list of “travel corridor” countries, which includes Italy, Germany and Greece, which people can visit without having to quarantine, Shapps has acknowledged it is “frustrating” for people to self-isolate on return from elsewhere.
The government has also been under increasing pressure from the aviation and tourism industries to change the rules after a steep fall in bookings.
Shapps, who himself had to quarantine when the rules changed while he was visiting Spain, said it was “important to make sure that we protect the health of people in the United Kingdom”.
He told broadcasters: “We have worked so hard and are still having to work incredibly hard to keep on top of this disease.
“So I will be making the announcement later today to parliament, but it involves a taskforce to look at systems which will enable us to have testing and perhaps earlier release.”
The aviation sector had been lobbying for a two-tier system whereby people arriving in the country had a test prior to their flight to England and another later.
A report in the Guardian has suggested, however, that Shapps is considering a shorter isolation period and a single test in the UK.